Hyderabad, April 26: The Telugu Desam has demanded that the state government come to the rescue of farmers who are facing hardship due to erratic power supply.
Speaking with reporters here today, party MLAs E Dayakar Rao, M Narasimhulu and others alleged that standing crops like paddy, mango and sweet lime were withering away forcing farmers to commit suicide.
They alleged that farmers in Medak, Nalgonda and some other districts were hard-pressed.
The TDP team today visited Nalgonda district. TDP MLAs claimed that the past government headed by the TDP had convened all-party meetings to bail out farmers during recurring droughts. But the Congress had no such plans to help the farming community.
Chief Minister K Rosaiah should announce how his government would help the farmers and what package would be given to farmers in distress, the TDP MLAs demanded and said the Prajapatham programme was being undertaken amidst tight police security and the common man was unable to raise his problems due to the fear of arrest. The Prajapatham failed to fiund a solution to the economic problems, they said. As for NREGS, they said the scheme came in handy for Congress leaders to pocket money.
The TDP leaders urged the government to release a white paper on the welfare and developmental activities.
Saying that Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy claimed that crops in one single acre did not dry up, the opposition MLAs dared the minister to visit the fields along with them to know the plight of the farmers.
On TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao’s criticism of CPM state secretary BV Raghavulu, they said the CPM made its stand clear on the bifurcation issue. They, however, said the TDP was committed to Telangana and said smaller states would ensure rapid progress. Gujarat was the best example that smaller states would prosper, they said.
–Agencies